Bill Withers titled his 1971 debut album Just As I Am, and the raw, simple and understated cover photo seemed to support that title. Withers, with an ingratiating smile on his face and a lunch pail in his hand, is standing against a brick wall at California's Webber Aircraft facility. The US Navy aircraft mechanic turned guitar-slinging singer/songwriter was somewhat of an anomaly on the music scene, and in his understated manner wrote on the album's jacket, "It matters not where I came from
Reissue Theory: Squeeze, "East Side Story"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on notable albums and the reissues they may someday see. Today marks the just-over-three-decade mark on a classic British LP of the '80s that is practically screaming for a deluxe effort. If you were brave or foolhardy enough to label Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook the heirs to the throne of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, 1981 was truly the year to do it. The British singer/songwriters and their little New Wave band that could,
Needles and Pins: Searchers Box Set Finally Back on Schedule
Back on July 26, 2010, we reported on Sweets, Spice, Sugar, Pins and Needles, a 4-CD, 120-track boxed retrospective dedicated to The Searchers, the second-most famous band to emerge from Liverpool during the British Invasion! We wrote: One of the best and most successful bands to come out of Liverpool, The Searchers may have toiled in the shadow of that other band from Liverpool, but hits like “Sugar and Spice,” “Pins and Needles” and “When You Walk in the Room” remain some of the strongest
Release Round-Up: Week of May 15
Pantera, Vulgar Display of Power: 20th Anniversary Edition (ATCO/Rhino) One of the heaviest albums of the '90s, expanded with one bonus track from the vault and a bonus DVD of live material and music videos. Diana Ross, Live in Central Park (Shout! Factory) Both of Miss Ross' iconic nights in Central Park in 1983 - one with rain, one without - on DVD for the first time anywhere. The Tubes, Outside Inside: Expanded Edition (Iconoclassic) Step inside another world with The Tubes' most famous
Review: Real Gone Goes Country with Eddie Rabbitt, Mel McDaniel, Cowboy Copas
What defines country music? The answer isn’t an easy one. Dolly Parton is undoubtedly singing a country-and-western song when she reminisces about “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” but how about when she’s warbling “Here You Come Again” by the Brill Building team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil? Are Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift country artists as pop stars, or pop stars as country artists? Billboard recently described none other than Bruce Springsteen as “a symbolic fencepost
Never Say Die: New Black Sabbath Compilation Coming to U.K. in June
It's been a winding road for Black Sabbath fans, likely anxious over the band's somewhat perilous reunion late last year. Original members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward announced their plans late last year to tour and release a new album in 2012 - a plan that's been semi-sidelined by Iommi undergoing treatment for lymphoma and contractual disagreements with Ward. Only three dates have been announced for the band this year, including a pair of overseas gigs and a stint at
Within My World: Dave Clark's "Time" Reissued, Features Freddie Mercury, Dionne Warwick, Julian Lennon, Cliff Richard, More
Today, London’s Dominion Theatre is home to We Will Rock You, a tongue-in-cheek “jukebox musical” featuring the music of Queen. That show is currently celebrating its 10th year at the Dominion, but even before the “Bohemian Rhapsody” chaps came to town, the Dominion was no stranger to mega-musicals from rock stars. In 1986, Dave Clark of the Dave Clark Five put his name above the title of a lavish spectacle called Time. Clark collaborated on the musical’s book and lyrics with David Soames;
Is There Anyone Out There? Maroon 5 to Expand Debut Album Alongside Newest LP (UPDATE 5/11)
As crazy as it may sound, the debut album by pop-rock band Maroon 5 is turning 10 this year, and the band is picking a strange time to commemorate it. The band and their label, A&M/Octone, are partnering to release a double-disc expanded edition of 2002's Songs About Jane featuring "original demos, unreleased material and videos." The set will be released to general retail on June 5; a deluxe bundle, available on the band's website, also comes with a bonus lithograph "incorporating original
Be My Baby: Sundazed Preps Spector Reissues On Vinyl
It's once again time to go back to mono. Sundazed has just announced the vinyl reissue of four classic albums from Phil Spector's Philles label. On July 31, The Ronettes' Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica by the Ronettes; Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah by Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans; and The Crystals' Uptown and He's A Rebel will all receive the Sundazed treatment. All four albums were reissued on CD last year from Phil Spector Records and Legacy Recordings as part of The Philles
Review: The Ad Libs, "The Complete Blue Cat Recordings"
Ooh-wah, ooh-wah, cool, cool kitty! Tell us about the boy from New York City… And indeed, much of America listened to the Ad Libs tell of that kinda tall, really fine guy in his mohair suit. The Top 10 hit turned radio’s attention from Swinging London back to New York City for a brief moment, but the group was never able to repeat the song’s success. It wasn’t for lack of trying, though, as Real Gone Music’s The Complete Blue Cat Recordings (Real Gone RGM-0500, 2012) proves. Though the Ad
Wir Lieben Bacharach! And Quincy, Too: Jazz Club Label Compiles Rare Bacharach, Jones On CD
Great catalogue music often arrives in the unlikeliest of places. Universal Music Classics and Jazz’s German division has created the budget Jazz Club label, celebrating artists from the various labels under the Universal umbrella. And though its titles may not be available at your local shop, they’re well worth seeking out, offering plenty of material not available elsewhere. Two of the most recent Jazz Club releases are of a particularly rare vintage. Wir Lieben Bacharach! collects 18
No More Wire Hangers! Henry Mancini's "Mommie Dearest" Joins Christopher Komeda's "Rosemary's Baby" On CD (UPDATED)
Mother's Day is just around the corner, and La-La Land Records is celebrating with a couple of releases celebrating some, ahem, very unusual mothers. No, the world premiere of the soundtrack to Psycho isn't among the duo, but this pair just might be the next best thing. On May 8, the label will issue Henry Mancini's score to 1981's cult campfest Mommie Dearest and Christopher (Krzysztof) Komeda's score to 1968's horror classic Rosemary's Baby, both from the vaults of Paramount
Review: Shorty Long, "The Complete Motown Stereo Masters"
Frederick Long's nickname "Shorty" was ironic considering his surname, but the diminutive pianist, songwriter and vocalist was indeed a mere 5'1". Yet Shorty was Long on talent. Harvey Fuqua brought Long to Motown with him from Tri-Phi, and Long was eventually selected by Berry Gordy to inaugurate the new Soul label, designed to showcase the funkier side of the Sound of Young America. That single arrived in 1964, but Gordy didn't release a Long solo album until 1968, just one year before the
What Kind of Love: Ike Turner's Sixties "Studio Productions" Compiled By Ace
Though some credit him with creating the very first rock and roll song (1951’s “Rocket 88,” credited to Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats), Ike Turner’s tumultuous personal life has long taken priority in the public eye over his groundbreaking musical achievements. Yet Turner, in addition to maintaining a grueling schedule on the road with the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, turned out a prodigious amount of studio material on a variety of labels. The latest addition to Ace Records’ Producers
On The Right Track: Demick and Armstrong's Lost Country-Rock Classic Reissued By RPM
Rod Demick may be best-known as a top sideman, serving with such talent as Screaming Lord Sutch, Dr. John, The Strawbs and the David Essex Band. Herbie Armstrong has had a similarly long career, playing with Van Morrison and film composer Mark Isham, co-founding the band Fox, and even entering Britain’s Got Talent as a contestant. But Demick and Armstrong have shared a long association, dating back to their days in the clubs of Belfast where they played alongside Morrison and his early band,
Kylie Minogue Celebrates Quarter Century with New Compilation
Twenty-five years is quite a long time for any pop star to survive, much less thrive. Australia's darling Kylie Minogue has been doing just that for a quarter century, and is celebrating that landmark with a new greatest hits album to be released this summer. The Best of Kylie Minogue compiles 21 tracks - 18 of them Top 5 hits in the U.K. - to celebrate the anniversary of the singer's first single, a cover of Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion" produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman team that became
Back Tracks: The Beastie Boys
With the heartbreaking news of the passing of Adam "MCA" Yauch of The Beastie Boys, who'd been battling cancer for several years, we invite you to enjoy this Back Tracks special from October 27, 2010, in which we revisited the band's discography and its reissues. The slightly bizarre news that The Beastie Boys' upcoming album Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2, slated for release this coming spring, will feature virtually every track recorded for the delayed Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 1 is classic Beastie
Digging in the Dirt: Peter Gabriel's "Secret World Live" to Be Released on Blu-Ray
While you count down the months until Peter Gabriel's 25th anniversary reissue of So later this year, we have another catalogue project of his to anticipate this year: an expanded Blu-Ray release of 1993's Secret World Live. After the much-anticipated release of Us in 1992, Peter Gabriel had a big surprise up his sleeve: his (arguably) most ambitious solo tour, a multimedia event so big it took two stages to perform. (For pop trivialists out there, it was also the first major appearance by
Do Not See "Lady in a Cage" Alone! Thrills and Chills Come From Kritzerland On New Soundtrack
The name of Paul Glass isn't nearly as well-known as that of many of his contemporaries, but the Los Angeles-born composer (b. 1934) has carved out a distinguished career writing for the concert stage and the big screen. Yet none of his soundtracks have ever been released on CD until now. Kritzerland is offering the first-ever release in any format of Glass' score to the 1964 thriller Lady in a Cage. Directed by Walter Grauman (television's The Fugitive, The Twilight Zone, Streets of San
Not Too Late: Norah Jones Box Set Due On SACD, Vinyl
Much has always been made of the success rate of Grammy recipients in the Best New Artist category, with some artists damning the prize as a curse. While some winners have, indeed, been unable to match their initial success, the list of winners also includes such long-running artists as Tom Jones, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Carly Simon, Bette Midler, and Sheryl Crow plus unlikely but distinguished names like Bob Newhart and Marvin Hamlisch, and a little band known as The Beatles! One more recent
Another Quarter, Another "ICON" Batch
What can I say about UMe's ICON series that I haven't already said? Nothing. The answer is nothing. LL Cool J, Musiq Soulchild and DMX are out now, Aerosmith and Hank Williams, Jr. are out on May 15. Check 'em out after the jump.
Made for You and Me: American Legend Woody Guthrie Chronicled in New Box Set
Fewer figures cast a larger shadow in American folk music than Woodrow Wilson Guthrie. The Oklahoman singer/songwriter's contribution to the fabric of our nation's sound is innumerable; from Dylan to Springsteen, any songwriter worth their salt in depicting the life, livelihood and dreams of our country owes Woody Guthrie a strong debt. With this in mind, Smithsonian Folkways will release a new career-spanning Guthrie box set this summer, in honor of what would have been his 100th
An Omnivore's Appetite: Tasty Treats From Jellyfish, The Knack, Buck Owens and Ernie Kovacs Coming Soon
Nobody could accuse the fine folks at Omnivore Recordings of not living up to the label's name! After all, "omnivore" is derived from the Latin for "all" and "everything." And Omnivore's recently announced slate of upcoming releases certainly qualifies as encompassing music from an incredibly wide variety of genres and eras. The label's packed line-up for May, June and July takes in legends from the world of comedy and country-and-western plus new wave and power pop pioneers! Two releases
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living on Cherry Red's El Label
The English-speaking world was let in on a secret when, early in 1968, it was revealed that Belgian songwriter/actor Jacques Brel was Alive and Well and Living in Paris. The musical revue opened at New York’s Village Gate and counted among its cast Mort Shuman, the Brill Building-era composer of “Viva Las Vegas,” “This Magic Moment” and “Save the Last Dance for Me,” all co-written with Doc Pomus. Shuman had become enchanted with Brel’s hauntingly dramatic music, and in addition to performing
Lenny Kravitz to Expand and Reissue "Mama Said"
More than two decades after its release, Lenny Kravitz is planning a deluxe edition of his sophomore album, 1991's Mama Said. The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter has been noted more for his film work lately than his musical career, with solid supporting turns in Precious (2010) and the smash hit The Hunger Games (2012). But Mama Said continued to solidify Kravitz as a unique persona with a bright future ahead of him, the groundwork of which was laid with his 1989 debut, Let Love
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